In order to reduce CO₂ emissions in the transport sector, the approach of load-adapted components is increasingly being pursued. For the design of such components, it is crucial to determine their resulting microstructure and mechanical properties. For this purpose, continuous cooling transformation diagrams and deformation continuous cooling transformation diagrams are utilized, however, their curves are strongly influenced by the chemical composition, the initial state and especially the process parameters.

In this study, the influence of the process parameters on the transformation kinetics is systematically investigated using an innovative characterization method. The experimental setup allowed a near-process analysis of the transformation kinetics, resulting microstructure and mechanical properties for a specific process route with a reduced number of specimens. A systematic investigation of the effects of different process parameters on the microstructural and mechanical properties made it possible to reveal interactions and independencies between the process parameters in order to design a partial heating or differential cooling process. Furthermore, the implementation of two different cooling conditions, representative of differential cooling in the die relief method with tool-contact and non-contact areas, showed that the soaking duration has a significant influence on the microstructure in the non-contact tool area.